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Valport: The Fruition Trials

The Fruition Trials all began when formal complaints from the Ignobles started to rise. The Prominents and Illustrians were better-taken care of and had more opportunity than the Ignobles. They desired better, as they should. The Presidents Council met to form a plan that would appease the Ignobles, but since the council is made primarily of Ilustrians they did not want to simply hand over their silver spoons.

That is when the Fruition Games began. The Ignobles that wanted more could apply to go through numerous test and games. In the end, if someone scored high enough, they could move up in Valport. They choose a new profession, a new home, etc.  When too many Ignobles began getting to that high score unrest in the Promients because their class was now being tainted by unworthy blood.  The Games were then opened to Promients, who could move to Ilustrians.  The Council decided then that they would televise the event. The Fruition Games is the first reality television show in Valport’s history.

In the beginning, contestant went against a contestant, but this began to cause more problems. It caused even more bad blood between the classes. So, once again changes occurred. The President and his Council came together and decided that the contestants would work together instead of against each other. They hoped this would build comradery between the classes and put out the fires that had started.

At this time, the games happened every year and were on for three months at a time. After about five years the ratings began to drop and income was being lost.  At first, they considered shutting down the games and finding another path, but during what was supposed to be the final season the first death occurred. The ratings sky-rocketed and interest was piqued.

The President, at the time, saw an opportunity and he grabbed it. He decided that, instead of every year, the games would be held every three years and they would no longer be the Fruition Games, but he began to refer to them as the Fruition Trials. The stakes were raised, but so were the rewards. Not only would those that made it through be bumped up a class, but they would also receive fame, fortune, recognition, and best of all, it was not just their current family that benefited – their bloodline from then on would be considered that class and have the benefits that came with it.  Only now, death was their opponent.

Now, instead of simply being tossed into situations they were not prepared for, the contestants would go through 3 months of intensive physical and mental training to help prepare them (a better battle, better ratings).  The trials were riskier, more life-threatening, and more deaths began to occur. The first year of the new trials only two out of eight survived.

Fewer Prominents began risking their lives and were content with their position, but Ignobles continued. For the entire time that the contestant participated, the family received compensation, that was enticing enough for some; others, salivated at the idea of pulling their family (or their own selves) out of the downward spiral that is the Ignoble class.   So now a majority of the contestants are Ignobles. Prominantes are rare, but not unheard of, and every few seasons a Illustrian will apply, just to say they did.

Over the years, some have begun to suspect that the trials are not as randomly generated as the Devisors say they are but that there is a rhyme and reason behind the names that are chosen and the situations that they get put in.

The citizens of Valport are eager for the next Trials to begin. Rumor has it, it will be the best one yet.